Christina J. Grabowski, Ph.D., an expert in holistic admissions in medical schools and a passionate student services advocate, has been named the new associate dean for Admissions and Enrollment Management at the UAB School of Medicine after a national search. Grabowski comes to UAB from the Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine in Rochester, Michigan, where she has served as the Assistant Dean for Admissions and Financial Services.
“The new associate dean position speaks to UAB’s commitment to recruiting, enrolling, and graduating future physicians who match the distinct mission, vision and goals of UAB,” Grabowski said. “I look forward to collaborating with faculty, staff, students, alumni and community members in establishing an innovative, transparent, and effective enrollment management program.”
Grabowski will officially join UAB on March 1, 2017, succeeding Nathan Smith, M.D., who retired in his role as assistant dean for Admission last July after leading the admissions office for 15 years.
In her role as associate dean for Admissions and Enrollment Management, Grabowski will lead the student recruitment, admissions, records and registration, and financial aid programs to recruit and support a diverse student body best suited to the School of Medicine. She will also establish direction and priorities for admissions, develop an overall strategic admissions and recruitment plan and continually evaluate the admissions experience.
“Christina is an excellent administrator who will be a transformative presence in the School of Medicine and its admissions process,” said Selwyn M. Vickers, M.D., senior vice president for Medicine and Dean of the UAB School of Medicine. “A key component of the School of Medicine mission is to improve the health and wellbeing of society, particularly in Alabama. To do that, we must recruit students who will be the best physicians for our patients and who represent the diversity of our state, and with Christina in this leadership role, I have no doubt about our abilities to continue recruiting the next generation of physician leaders.”
The UAB School of Medicine is a multi‐campus medical school with the main campus in Birmingham and three regional campuses: Huntsville, Montgomery, and Tuscaloosa, as well as a residency program in Selma, Alabama. For the medical school class entering in 2016, the Admissions Committee received 3,845 applications to choose 479 applicants to interview for the first-year class, comprised of 186 students.
Like many medical schools across the country, the UAB School of Medicine uses a holistic admissions process, which balances relevant academic and non-academic factors in evaluating applicants, allowing the Admissions Committee to determine not only which students have the academic assets to handle the rigors of medical school, but see attributes in applicants that are essential for patient care in medicine. Grabowski is a national leader in holistic review, serving the past five years with the Advancing Holistic Review Initiative of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) as a facilitator of holistic admissions workshops at medical schools across the country. In addition, Grabowski has served as a regional representative on the AAMC Committee on Admissions since 2014.
Grabowski earned her bachelor’s degree from Oakland University in 1993, followed by a master’s degree in Administration from Central Michigan University in 1998 and a doctorate in Educational Leadership from Oakland University in 2016. Dr. Grabowski has been with Oakland University since 1993, serving in various roles, including as Assistant Director of Admissions and Enrollment Management, Associate Director for Graduate Study and Lifelong Learning, and Director of Graduate Marketing and Recruitment, before joining the medical school as Assistant Dean of Admissions in 2009.